Suspect lured victims via online ad, police say

LAKE FOREST – A 22-year-old man lured buyers with a Craigslist ad, then attempted to rob them at gunpoint on a residential street, authorities said.

The Lake Forest man is suspected of taking more than $1,000 in cash Friday night, and attempting to rob a man and a woman the previous night as well, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators suspect that Jacob Michael Shablo lured the three victims through an online ad to sell a laptop, Amormino said.

At about 9:40 p.m. Thursday, a 48-year-old man and his 27-year-old niece responded to the ad at the 23400 block of Red Robin Lane. They were met in the residential area by a man who emerged from the side of a house carrying a handgun. The man and his niece told him they were not carrying cash and had planned to only inspect the laptop, according to Amormino.

"The suspect panicked and ran," Amormino said.

Deputies were called to the same area the next night for a suspicious person.

When deputies approached a man in a vehicle, the man told them he had been robbed after responding to an online ad. The suspect took more than $1,000 in cash.

Sheriff's officials identified the suspect as Shablo, Amormino said.

Shablo was found near Lake Center Drive and Boeing Avenue. He was being held in Men's Central Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Authorities suggest people meet in a public area when responding to ads if they do not know the seller and, if possible, to meet during the day.

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